Roadworks set for early finish

A number of factors have aided the completion of major roadworks on a stretch of the A1 in Tyneside, leading to hopes that the repairs will be finished ahead of schedule, officials said.

According to Highways Agency, work on Allerdene Bridge near Team Valley, in Gateshead, started on July 25 and is expected to be finished by the end of September.

But labour on the road, which is currently subject to both speed and lane restrictions, will be over by September 18, the agency announced.

John Sheeran, route performance manager of the Highways Agency, said: "We did them in the school holidays when traffic was quieter and we got good weather at a critical point in the work.

"We got a lot of support from local authorities in deferring a lot of their major works and credit must go to the people on the site who put in valiant effort to get the works completed as quickly as they have done."